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Prime Minister given Two Weeks to gather Information on SMHDF.

>PHILIPSBURG: --- The National Alliance Faction in Parliament has given Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs two weeks to gather all information regarding the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation if not actions will be taken against the Prime Minister for failure to provide information to Parliament.
In the continuation meeting held on Tuesday Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs informed Parliament that he did not receive the information they requested from the St Read more

style="text-align: center;">Saunders Welcome Sign not paid for --- procedures were not followed.

PHILIPSBURG:--- There seems to be more in the mortar than in the pestle when it comes to the construction of the FBO section at the Princess Juliana International Airport. SMN News learnt that the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) project that have to be constructed at the Princess Juliana International Airport is creating more problems even though Taliesin Construction legally won the bid. According to information provided to SMN News some five companies were invited by PJIAE to submit their bids for the project Read more

Lions’ Health Fair reaches hundreds

PHILIPSBURG--Hundreds turned out for the annual Lion Rudy Hoeve Health and Wellness Fair at Festival Village on Saturday. The free event enabled and encouraged to public to familiarise themselves with different healthcare institutions and illnesses, and have free testing for ailments, including high blood pressure, diabetes, sickle cell disease and HIV/AIDS.

Attendees could see for themselves the newly-launched Collective Prevention Services (CPS) Mobile Health Services bus, which contains two spacious rooms for check-ups Read more

Lake debunks talk about breaking UP

PHILIPSBURG--"Untrue and baseless" is how United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake described rampant "rumours" in the community about him being "involved in a plot to throw down government and send home the Cabinet of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs."

Since Friday, there has been persistent talk that spun into blogs about Lake breaking with this party over differences Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:----  United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Maurice Lake says the social media rumours and the story in a daily newspaper over the weekend where it mentions that he is involved in a plot to throw down government and send home the Cabinet of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs as untrue and baseless.

MP Lake who is currently off island says that he was informed about the rumours that started on Facebook and later moved to the blogs.

"There are individuals who sit in front of a computer everyday with nothing to do and try to create news by telling fibs that are untrue Read more

MP Maurice Lake Grievances goes deeper than anyone would imagine – VORST Estate is only a tip of the Iceberg.

style="text-align: center;">Building Permits not Signed by Acting Minister of VROMI --- Reliable Sources

PHILIPSBURG:--- The situation at the Ministry of VROMI is not only disturbing to the former Minister Maurice Lake now Member of Parliament whom it is said tendered his resignation from the United Peoples Party prior to leaving the island Read more

Up Mp Lake Says Social Media Rumours Untrue And Baseless. Lake Remains Loyal To Coalition

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Maurice Lake says the social media rumours and the story in a daily newspaper over the weekend where it mentions that he is involved in a plot to throw down government and send home the Cabinet of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs as untrue and baseless.

MP Lake who is currently off island says that he was informed about the rumours that started on Facebook and later moved to the blogs.

"There are individuals who sit in front of a computer everyday with nothing to do and try to create news by telling fibs that are untrue.

It is sad that many people go based on hearsay and social media chatter which are fabricated for amusement, but at the same time it creates uneasiness amongst the populace Read more

MP Maurice Lake pulls Support from Current Coalition --- All MP’s have major issues with UP Leader Theo Heyliger.

style="text-align: center;">Prime Minister plans to dissolve Parliament early next week to stop formation of another Government. Reliable Sources.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Several fractures in the United Peoples Party/ De Weever/ Marlin- Romeo and US coalition seems to be beyond repair that Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs have decided that he will send a Landsbesluit to the Governor of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Chuchubi Foundation events for Aruba Day (March 18th 2015) was termed a big success. The two- day event, started on March 17th 2015 with the launching of the book "Calypso and resistance in Aruba" by Mr. Gregory Richardson and the documentary film on "Mighty Lords, Kings and Queens - Calypso and the politics of recognition in Aruba" by Ms Read more

Chuchubi Foundation Events Termed A Success

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Chuchubi Foundation events for Aruba Day (March 18th 2015) was termed a big success.

The two- day event, started on March 17th 2015 with the launching of the book "Calypso and resistance in Aruba" by Mr. Gregory Richardson and the documentary film on "Mighty Lords, Kings and Queens - Calypso and the politics of recognition in Aruba" by Ms Read more

Up Mp Lake Calls On Up Lead Government To Make Job Creation A Priority

St. Maarten –  “It is high time that Government and Parliament start empowering our local people to be tops where it concerns jobs and other relevant areas in the country,” UP MP and former Vromi Minister Maurice Lake said yesterday while contending that since his tenure as Vromi Minister not much is happening within the districts.

The UP MP has issued a call to the UP lead government to make use of local contractors in the various districts when it comes to district community improvement Read more

Halley asks PM for extension, still awaits any govt response

~ Kadaster: illegally filled at own risk ~

SIMPSON BAY--Simpson Bay business owner Marlon Halley reportedly has not heard back from any Government representatives concerning his appeal to stay on or be compensated for land that he filled and to investigate matters pertaining to the adjoining family land's transfer of rights. A second letter on the matter was submitted to Prime Minister/Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Minister Marcel Gumbs on March 16.

This had been preceded by other correspondence to Minister Gumbs and a petition to Parliament submitted on his behalf that calls for an investigation into what the community has dubbed "fishy business" surrounding the transfer of rights to the land (see March 4 article "Simpson Bay: Parliament must investigate land deal").

Questions posed to Parliament by The Daily Herald concerning its reaction to the petition, which was accompanied by two pages of signatures and listed some 14 attachments of supporting documents, have gone unanswered.

Halley had been instructed by VROMI to remove his belongings from the property or face "legal measures" by Wednesday, March 18 Read more

EXCLUSIVE: MP Leona Marlin seeking to appoint Aunt’s Husband as Minister of TEATT.

style="text-align: center;">Henry Lynch is expected to become Chief of Cabinet – Government in Shambles – Reliable Sources.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Member of Parliament Leona Marlin- Romeo is expected to appoint the husband of her aunt Ernest Sams, a pensioner from GEBE as Minister of TEATT. SMN News has been reliably informed that MP Marlin- Romeo contacted two other persons who declined the offer. Those persons are the former wife of MP Maurice Lake Marla Shemont who is currently working at the Tourist Office citing that her family does not agree for her to take up the position Read more

Smcu Calls For Deportation Of Telem’S  “Illegal Workers”

St. Maarten – The deportation of the Surinamese workers brought in by TelEm to work on the pilot fiber to the home project is being demanded by the St. Maarten Communications Union, which also wants the Immigration Department to stamp the passports of these workers to forbid them from re-entering the island for five years.

Following an outcry from the union last week regarding these same workers, TelEm explained that the workers were brought in on an emergency and temporary basis to assist with a backlog of work and to do the pilot fiber to the home project Read more

Editorial - Lost opportunity

Once again Parliament was unable to meet due to the lack of a quorum (see related story). It regarded a plenary session to discuss ongoing issues at St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF), for which Prime Minister and interim Housing Minister Marcel Gumbs had been present along with several officials.

It was thus a waste of valuable time for them, the seven legislators who were in attendance and all those wanting to follow the proceedings either in person or via electronic media Read more

No quorum stalls housing meeting

PHILIPSBURG--The discussion in Parliament about developments at St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) was stalled on Wednesday after insufficient Members of Parliament signed in for the meeting with ad interim Housing Minister Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. The meeting will be reconvened at a later date.

Six of the seven United People's (UP) party MPs were not present for the meeting.

Only seven of the 15 MPs serving in the legislature signed in for the meeting Read more

Country still short two ministers, 2014-2018 governing programme

PHILIPSBURG--It's been almost three months since the current Marcel Gumbs Cabinet has taken office and it is still two ministers short of the usual complement of seven. March 19 will mark three months since the cabinet was sworn-in by Governor Eugene Holiday.

To date, there has neither been word from the UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo coalition regarding the nomination of the two additional ministers nor about the completion of the Governing Programme for the coalition for 2014-2018.

The current Council of Ministers only numbering five is not in any way illegal as the Constitution states the country can have "up to a maximum of seven ministers."

De-facto government leader United People's (UP) leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger had said in his New Year's address that he "would like to see a complete seven-member cabinet in place within 60 days or less as of the beginning of the New Year."

He also stated in that same address, "I am very confident in the team of ministers who have been appointed so far to carry out the people's business."

Ministers are needed for the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labour VSA and the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI.

Prime Minister/General Affairs Minister Marcel Gumbs serves as ad-interim VROMI minister while Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs is

ad- interim VSA minister.

It is speculated that potential candidates are shying away from the ministerial nominations, because of the somewhat invasive checks into the lives of minister candidates, their family and friends.

One person close to the issue said, some people do not want even their name to be mentioned as a potential candidate Read more

L'Esperance wins Most Worthy Performance Overall trophy for the 2015 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs presents the Most Worthy Performance Overall trophies for the 2015 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta to Bobby Velasquez’s L’Esperance at the awards ceremony to close the regatta Sunday evening on Kim Sha Beach. L’Esperance achieved a perfect score of four first places during the regatta. Bobby Ve Read more

Plenary Session Of Parliament Scheduled For Wednesday About The St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The House of Parliament will meet in a public plenary session on March 11. This session is the continuation of the initial session that was held on December 22, 2014 which is now being reconvened.

The Acting Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Marcel Gumbs, will be present for the public plenary session of the House of Parliament.

The plenary session is set for Wednesday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is the request to the Governments Accountants Bureau SOAB to carry out a forensic investigation into the operations of the St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- During the celebrations of Rotary's 110th Anniversary, the Rotary Club of Sint Maarten-Mid Isle welcomed Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs as an Honorary Member.
Honorary membership in Rotary Clubs are recognized to individuals for their unusual contributions to Rotary and society. PM Gumbs for many years have attended the clu Read more

Telecommunication Union Accuses Telem Of Hiring Illegals:  Calls For Resignation Of The Board

St. Maarten – A vote of no confidence in the board of TelEm and the resignation of Raphael Boasman as the head of that board because of a conflict of interest, were among issues cited by the St. Maarten Telecommunication Union during a press conference yesterday.

The union called the press conference to air some of their grievances in the court of public opinion after having received no satisfaction from management and board of TelEm to their issues, chief among which is the employment of a Surinamese company to perform paid employment that the union feels can and should be done by local contractors Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten is now the Regional Authorising Officer (RAO) for the 11th EDF Regional Program. The announcement was made at the Annual Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) Ministerial Conference and the 13th Annual OCTA/EU Forum from February 25 to 27 in Tortola. Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs signed the ratification document formalising this status.
This is the result of a nomination proposed by Montserrat in 2014 and ratified by the remaining 11 Caribbean OCTs in a vote by consensus Read more

Prime Minister Gumbs - Octa

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - St. Maarten is now the Regional Authorising Officer (RAO) for the 11th EDF Regional Program.

The announcement was made at the Annual Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) Ministerial Conference and the 13th Annual OCTA/EU Forum from February 25 to 27 in Tortola.

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs signed the ratification document formalising this status.

This is the result of a nomination proposed by Montserrat in 2014 and ratified by the remaining 11 Caribbean OCTs in a vote by consensus.

In this function St Read more

Digicel talks fruitless, TelEm talking to another company

PHILIPSBURG--The TelEm Group is currently engaged in partnership talks with a new prospective partner as talks with Digicel bore no fruit.

Asked about the talks during a press conference on Wednesday, St. Maarten Communications Union (SMCU) President Ludson Evers said he could not go into details of the discussions, but noted that the company is talking to another prospective partner as the talks with Digicel have been completed and had been fruitless.

He declined to give the name of the prospective partner and also declined to go into any details when asked Read more